Family chokes on smoke, hides in loo to stay alive

Nagpur: Three members of the Gaikwad family of Isaganj in MIDC police limits bolted the toilet door and crouched low on the floor, fearful and choking on dense smoke while four armed men ran amok in their house early Wednesday. The family lay huddled and stiff in the loo and dialled the police helpline (112) before they were rescued. The four accused are yet to be nabbed, said police. The murderous attack was driven by a grudge rooted in a petty scuffle, two days ago. But the revenge unleashed on the Gaikwads mirrored a gang attack, though the rivals have no crime record. The goons set vehicles ablaze, pelted stones and smashed their way into the Gaikwad home with sticks, only to be thwarted by police in the nick of time.The attack kicked off around 2 am when Dattatraya Gaikwad, his wife Jyoti and their young daughter were jolted out of their sleep. The family was tense following a recent altercation involving Gaikwad's younger son and a member of the rival group. "The first incident was not reported to police. We have identified the hooligans and will nab them soon," said a senior MIDC cop. In the scuffle, a youngster from the rival camp suffered an injury, which led to demands for money to foot the medical bills, said police. This triggered heated negotiations before the murderous attack on Wednesday. The goons torched two parked vehicles and an electric meter, filling the entire area with thick smoke that reduced visibility and added to the chaos. Armed with stones, bricks and sticks, the four men then smashed open the main door and barged inside, shouting death threats.Talking to TOI, a family member said, "They wanted to kill us." But the Gaikwads displayed remarkable presence of mind, rushed into the washroom, locked themselves inside, barricaded the door and called police. The MIDC police team navigated through the thick smoke and saved the family. No physical injuries were reported, but the family, especially the young daughter was traumatised.A case has been registered, and teams are actively scanning CCTV footage from nearby areas while questioning locals for leads. Gaikwads appealed for continued security till the attackers were arrested.